


Have A Little Faith In Me

by boldygoingnowhere



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-03-10 15:35:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3295646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boldygoingnowhere/pseuds/boldygoingnowhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Gorillaz have trouble keeping managers, you can blame Murdoc for that, but Violet Johnson is just too stubborn to give up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello? Is Anyone There? HELLO?

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of a story of the same name that's on my old FFN account, isettophonfire. 
> 
> I do not own any rights to Gorillaz characters, lyrics, or media.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interviews and first impressions.

The headlines read as such:  
GORILLAZ LOSE ANOTHER MANAGER AS NICCALS FACES CHARGES  
Two weeks later, an ad appeared in Violet’s local newspaper that said:

“Local band in need of manager. Must be eighteen or older with a lack of legal representation. Must know what the hell they’re doing. Pay is good.”

She didn’t make the connection, not that she would have cared. She was a recent graduate and broke. The only thing that mattered to her was “Pay is good”. So, when she drove up to the dilapidated Kong Studios, Violet was completely taken aback. 

It wasn’t anything like she was expecting. Gorillaz were successful band, or at least she thought, and yet they were living in almost squalor. The main hallway smelled like rotting eggs, stale booze, and cigarettes. There were screams coming from somewhere deeper in the building. Violet chose to try ignore all of these things. It was a job. And when you’re twenty-three and still living with your parents you’ll take anything. 

It seemed that she sat in the dingy hallway for eons until a large African-American man called her name. The young woman sprung out of her seat, a bit too eagerly, knocking over a dead potted plant. 

“S-sorry,” she muttered as she straightened herself and the plant, “I’m Violet Johnson”

The man laughed and extended his hand, “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Russell Hobbs.” 

He lead Violet into the cramped office. The smell wasn’t as bad in the small room, but the lighting was horrendous and poor Russell seemed to take up half the room. She wondered what the room used to be before it was an office. 

Russell cleared his throat, “I’m going to tell you the truth Ms. Johnson, you’re our only applicant. Murdoc’s treatment of our last manager hasn’t made this a desirable position. Especially for women.”

“I only read the headlines,” Violet explained, “I didn’t actually read what happened. I’ve been too busy with graduation and all.” 

This issued another laugh from the large man, “I don’t know if I should actually tell you or not. But I assume you can figure it out on your own. You seem smart enough. I would just keep pepper spray on you at all times.”

She nodded, completely ignoring his warnings. All she heard was “you’re pretty much getting the job” and she was over the moon.

A couple of forms were passed towards her, “When can you start?”

“Right away,” Violet beamed.

Russell handed her a pen, “Well, great. Your room and board will be included in your pay, your room will be set up by tonight. You’ll just have to move your personal items in. I’ll go make sure everything’s in order.”

He got up and left the room, albeit with some difficulty. Violet, still ecstatic about actually having a job and being able to move out of her parents’ place, hurriedly filled out the forms in front of her.

In her excitement, Violet didn’t see a young girl creep into the room behind her. That was until the girl took a seat next to her. 

“Hello there,” the older woman chimed, “Are you Noodle?”

The young girl gasped and ran out of the room causing Violet to laugh. 

“Adorable,” she muttered under her breath.

“What is?” Russell asked as he re-entered the room. 

“Noodle,” Violet replied.

 

“Yes she is,” he mused, “She really is.”

The rumors were true. Noodle really was special.

“I’m done,” Violet stated as she handed the papers to Russell.

He smiled, “Good, see you in the morning. Hope you’re prepared.”

And she hoped she was.


	2. People, People, Everybody people. Everbody making a sound.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gorillaz are an interesting bunch of people.

Later that night, Violet had employed her brothers and her dad into moving all of her personal belongings to Kong. It wasn’t that much, mostly clothes and books. Most of which she had never read. She could have brought some furniture, but she didn’t know what they were going to have for her. Home wasn’t that far anyway, if she needed anything she could go get it. 

Violet’s new room was right across from Noodle, several floors up. She wished she could have kept her father from seeing all of Kong. Mr. Johnson was not thrilled with the state of his daughter’s new dwelling. Violet was glad a certain bassist didn’t rear his ugly head the entire night. Certainly, her father would have lost it. She was daddy’s little girl after all. Neither of her parents were happy about her moving out on such short notice, but she was glad to be out on her own. Sure, it was sudden, but it was much needed. And the pay was killer. 

It wasn’t until her family had left her to settle in that Violet met a third member of the band. She was placing clothing on hangers when the lanky young man with blue hair peeped in without her realizing. The singer had situated himself, quite awkwardly, only a few paces behind Violet without saying anything. She worked in ignorance for a little while until she turned around to get more hangers and ran straight into him.

She stumbled back a bit, startled, dropping the t-shirt she was holding, “Oh shit!”

“’Ello! I’m 2D!” He blurted out. 

Violet inspected the man a bit. She knew who he was, and his reputation of stupidity was certainly correct. Still a little frightened, she stood there looking at him, eyes wide. He stared straight back.

“You okay?” He asked.  
“Y-yeah,” she responded, “You just scared me a bit is all.”

“Sorry”

She eyed him again, bending down to pick up the thrown item of clothing, “Yeah, well, announce yourself next time. Girls don’t like to be scared; it doesn’t exactly turn them on.”  
He smiled, “I’ll remember fat, fanks.”

She had meant that as a joke.   
A few seconds went by and neither of them said anything. 2D stared and Violet went back to hanging her clothes up, working around the other person that had planted himself in the middle of her room.

“Want some ‘elp?” he asked after a few minutes.   
She sighed, “Sure why not?”

They worked out a system pretty quickly, 2D would Violet a hanger and she would place the garment on it and hang it up. He had tried to hang up the clothes himself, and it ended poorly. They engaged in small talk while doing it. He was pretty excited to be in the band and having success. Honestly, it was like he was a five-year-old who had just finished a Red Bull and was told he was getting a puppy. He was very sweet, but an overall mess and very dense. And he trusted her. She realized she could use this to her advantage. There were some rumors she wanted to clear up, specifically one about the former guitarist.

What was her name? Petra? Pauline?

Violet brought the situation up carefully, “So, have any girlfriends?”

He shook his head. 

“Not even one?” she pressed further, “A handsome guy like you has to have some lucky lady?”

2D quickly turned a bright shade of red and dropped the hangers he was holding at the sudden complement. He sputtered a bit and then scrambled to pick them up. 

“You fink I’m handsome?”

That wasn’t the point of her question.

She laughed and elbowed him lightly in the ribs, “Well, yeah. I mean that’s why Murdoc asked you to be the singer, isn’t it? Every band needs a pretty boy front man. And he certainly can’t fill that role like you can. I mean, you’re loads better looking than he is at least.”  
2D’s mouth opened and closed a bit like he wanted to say something before shutting it tightly, and then he shoved the hangers into Violet’s hands.

“I’ve got to go!” He shouted, “Bye!”

And he was gone, almost knocking over the lamp on his way out. 

Violet just stood there, a bit confused. She understood she had probably embarrassed him a bit, and made a mental note not to compliment him too much. But his reaction to her words dumbfounded her. She shook it off and continued straightening her room.   
She was placing books on the bookshelf when there was a knock on her door.

“Come in!” she shouted.

The door creaked open to reveal a very scared looking Noodle. Violet rushed to her and dropped down to her level. 

She brushed the bangs out of the young girl’s eyes, which were beginning to tear up, “What’s wrong honey?”

Noodle looked at her for a second, a bit puzzled. But then muttered something in Japanese, and took Violet by the hand and drug her down the hall to her room. 

Violet entered right behind her, a little cautious. The little girl’s room didn’t match what Violet had heard about her. Noodle was supposed to be a musical prowess, very intelligent and mature, but the entire room was pink and fluffy with a couple of Japanese-style decorations. Like a six-year-old’s might be, not a ten-year-old rockstar’s. Someone had probably decorated it for her, without having any idea what she wanted. There were some touches of personality, Violet noted, like game boy games and what looked like transformers strewn about the room.

Noodle popped up with a small pair of underwear that was stained with blood. 

Oh.

"It’s not that bad", Violet thought, "she’s not going to die or anything."

Noodle started to explain something in Japanese while pacing the room, which Violet didn’t understand at all. So what Violet didn’t know if Noodle knew what was going on or if she just needed assistance. Noodle was ten. She probably knew everything she needed to know at that point, right? Plus, Violet was probably much more suited to just assist anyway. 

“Wait right here,” Violet said slowly, placing her hands up. 

And then she took back off down the hall towards her room. She shuffled through her belongings to find any feminine products she had and a bottle of advil, a successful venture. She booked it back to Noodle’s room, where the young guitarist still stood in the same place mid-sentence. Violet handed her the items and Noodle smiled. 

Slightly out-of-breath, Violet tried to explain what everything was, “This is advil, I’m sure you know what that is. These are pads, they go in the underwear, kinda like a diaper I guess. And there are also tampons they go up in-Why am I even saying all this, you can’t understand me an-“

She was cut off by Noodle hugging her and a soft, heavily accented “thank you”. Violet hugged her back. 

It was then she got an idea, heating pad. 

“I’ll be back,” Violet assured Noodle, once again forgetting that the guitarist probably couldn’t understand her. 

Violet left to go on her search for the heating pad. She knew she didn’t have one, but there had to be one around the studio somewhere. 

She wandered into the kitchen where the three men of the band were sitting and eating, not talking. 2D purposefully avoided eye contact with her.

“Hey, does anyone know where there might be a heating pad or a hot water bottle?” she began, and was met with blank stares, “Noodle started her period and I’m trying to find one for her.”

Russel stood, “Yeah, I think there might be one somewhere around here.”

“Hold on a second, who the fuck are you?” the man who was clearly Murdoc snapped. Like 2D, his reputation was also correct. He was greasy, grouchy, and smelled horribly.

Violet looked at Russel. How did Murdoc not know?

2D piped in, still staring down at his bowl of cereal, “It’s our new manager, Veronica.”

“Violet,” she corrected him.

His ears turned a bit red, “Right, Violet.”

Murdoc stood and extended his hand, “Pleasure to meet you, I’m Murdoc Niccals. Bassist of this band.”

“Yeah, I know. Violet Johnson,” She responded, reluctantly shaking his hand, “Now, uh, I’ve still got to help Noodle.”

Russel nodded, “Right, I think there’s one near the gym.”

Both he and Violet left to hunt down anything that would help the guitarist and Murdoc began to scheme. 

About an hour later, Noodle fully assisted with her problem to the best of the 23-year-old woman’s ability, Violet found herself on an over-stuffed couch in front of a large TV with a beer in hand. It was currently 11 and all she wanted to do was watch something funny and then go to bed. It had been an extremely long day and she deserved it. But as fate decided, she wasn’t going to be able to do that.  
The door flung open and smacked against the wall. 

“Get up!” Murdoc yelled, “And get ready!”

Violet turned around, “What? Ready for what? What are you on about?”

He smiled, revealing his sharp, yellow teeth, “Me, you, and faceache are going out to celebrate you getting a job.”

“No thanks,” she deadpanned, and slid back down on the couch.

Murdoc snarled.

“C’mon,” a younger, lighter voice begged, “Murdoc says it’s for you.”  
She closed her eyes and sighed, “Fine. Give me some time to figure out what to wear. Where are we going?”

“Whatever club will take us, and then from there, wherever you want,” the older man grinned once again.

Violet could tell he was going to be the “problem child”. Russel, 2D, and Noodle were all very nice, if they did have their own quirks, whether it was a possession, idiocy, or a language barrier. 

Clubbing was never something Violet found fun. She preferred staying in with friends, but she didn’t doubt that night would be interesting.

She was able to pull together an outfit that Murdoc deemed sexy enough. She wished he hadn’t demanded on heels, as he was making them walk. “Don’t drink and drive kids” was his defense. It was a chilly night, and she had forgotten a coat. 2D still wouldn’t look her in the eye, and he wouldn’t address her directly. A fact Murdoc hadn’t picked up on as he strut along a couple paces ahead of the 23-year-olds.

“You know, 2D,” Violet laughed as she lit a cigarette, “you’re going to have to acknowledge me sometime.”

Silence.

She continued, “I’m sorry I embarrassed you earlier. I was just kidding around.”

“He got your name wrong, that’s something to embarrassed about!” Murdoc shouted back at them.

“Fat’s not what she was tal-“  
Murdoc held out an arm to stop them, “We’re here my pets. The best club in all of England.”

Both Violet and 2D groaned, the place was a grimy hole-in-the-wall crawling with all sorts of ne’er-do-wells. 

Tonight was not going to be fun.


	3. White light, White light. Alcohol. Alcohol.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blackouts and drunken mistakes

Light was streaming in through the window. It was far too bright. Annoyingly, the alarm clock was also blaring.

“Fuckin hell!” Violet exclaimed as she reached over to turn off the alarm.

She brushed over a body.

Stunned, Violet looked down, and gulped. There, lying next to her was a still sleeping blue haired man. At second glance, she was assured that, yes, it was 2D. Carefully, she lifted up the duvet, and was greeted by his bare ass. Violet noted that she was also completely naked. 

This was not good. Not good at all. 

What happened last night? She couldn’t remember at all beyond arriving at that gross club.

There was a discarded condom laying on the floor next to the trash bin. Violet groaned and fell back on the bed.   
At least they were careful. At least it wasn’t Murdoc in the bed next to her.

But this wasn’t anything that had happened to her. Ever. Violet wasn’t one for one night stands, she had her fair-share of lovers but they had been boyfriends, not strangers. She had known 2D for less than twenty-four hours at this point. She didn’t know how to react to her current situation.

She rolled over and closed her eyes, hoping to fall back asleep. Not dealing with it was still technically dealing with it, right? Anyways her head was killing her and it was far too bright to have her eyes open.  
Sometime later, Violet was woken back up by a half-strangled scream. 2D was awake, and fully aware of the situation. 

“Oh my god, Violet, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he stammered out, trying to scrambled out of the bed and gather his clothes. 

Violet sat herself up, “Shhhh, not so loud.”

2D stopped for a second, “Murdoc’s gonna kill me.”

“My head hurts,” she groaned, “so if you’ll just be quiet.”

He ignored her, “’E’s gonna kill me and then ‘e’s gonna sleep wif you.”

That shook her out of her sleepy, hungover state, “What the fuck do you mean? I’m not going to sleep with Murdoc no matter what he wants.”

“No, ‘e’ll sleep wif you, it’s how it works,” 2D explained, “everytime I ‘ave a girl I care about ‘e ruins it.” 

Violet raised an eyebrow, “What?”

He continued, “’E slept wif Paula and ruined fat whole fing. ‘E tried to sleep wif Rachel and she just broke up wif me cuz of it.”

Paula, that was the first guitarist’s name. Paula.

2D was now cradling his head in his hands, almost crying, “’E also slept wif the girl after fat. I don’t remember ‘er name but fat’s not the point. ‘E ruins everything and now ‘e’s gonna ruin you.”

“What?” Violet repeated. 

He looked at her in confusion, “Murdoc sleeps wif all my girlfriends.”

“I got that,” she stated, “That’s not what I’m puzzled about. It’s the whole bit about you caring about me and he’s going to ruin me that’s got me.”

2D looked down at his lap, “Well, yeah. I fought it was obvious. And fey call me fuh dense one.”

Oh dear. I mean, sure, he had been behaving strangely, but again, she had only know the guy for a couple of hours. Violet hadn’t thought anything she said could be misconstrued. She was just being kind. Now that she looked back on it, maybe she was flirting a bit. Any normal guy would have just ignored it. It was harmless flirting, nothing more.

But this was a young man who, for at least two years, had been verbally (and possibly physically) abused by Murdoc, someone in authority. He was told he was worthless and stupid. A faceache, a moron. Nothing more than a pretty boy voice box. And 2D probably believed every word. Violet’s heart ached. 

She threw her arms around him, and pulled him into the hug, “you’re very sweet. Probably one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.”

2D returned the hug.

“But I haven’t know you that long. And an intimate relationship isn’t very professional,” She explained. 

2D tightened his grip around her waist.

“But I would be honored to be your friend. And I’m not going to do anything with Murdoc,” Violet said as she pulled away, making eye contact, “I promise.”

He gave her a wide smile, though there were hints of tears in his eyes. It was then she promised herself to protect him. To make sure that he felt special. She would be a buffer from the cruel world that Murdoc was trying to create for 2D.

“Any time Murdoc pulls any of that shit,” Violet continued, “you let me know. I won’t stand for it.”

2D began to collect himself again. He got out of the bed and started to put on his clothes. 

He smiled at her again, a wide, happy smile again, “Fanks.”

“Anytime,” She beemed back, “Now leave, I need to get dressed.”

2D chuckled to himself but did as she said. He finished getting dressed and made his way back to his room.

Violet fell back on the bed. It was now 9:34. She wanted to get back to sleep but there was probably work for her to do. She groaned, coffee and advil. If she wanted to survived the rest of the day, she would need them.


	4. It's the drugs for sober over the dub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The work begins

Violet shuffled her way down to the kitchen, suddenly very hungry on top of her throbbing headache. Fried eggs sounded very good at the moment, possibly on a bagel. Ooh, and bacon. Bacon would be heavenly. 

Russel was already sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying a bowl of cereal and orange juice while reading the morning paper. She grunted a hello as she rummaged through the cupboards for a frying pan.   
“How was the party last night?” He asked, not looking up from his paper.

“Terrible,” Violet moaned, “or at least I think. I don’t exactly remember most of it.”

Russel laughed, “that’s why I avoid drinking with Murdoc. It never ends in good decisions.”

“Tell me about it,” she muttered under her breath. 

She slammed the pan down on the stove and made her way over to the fridge. She spotted the eggs right away but there didn’t seem to be any bacon. Damn.

“Hey Russel,” she shouted over her shoulder, “do we have any bagels?” 

He stood up, opened the cupboard next to her, and placed the package down on the counter. 

She beamed, “you’re brilliant.”

“Coffee’s already been made, creamer’s in the fridge,” he told her with a slight smile, returning to his newspaper.

She nodded as she began on her own breakfast. Soon she was sitting beside the large man, scarfing down the sandwich and washing it down with coffee. She was pouring a second cup when Noodle came waltzing into the kitchen, too large of a smile on her face for how early it was. 

Russel looked up from his paper, “Good morning baby girl.”

Noodle met him, and Violet, with an enthusiastic “Ohayo!” before dragging a chair over to the cupboards so she could look the choices of cereal. 

“Should she be doing that?” Violet asked.

Russel looked over at the precariously perched young girl, “Why not?”

“She could fall,” she elaborated. 

And as she said that, the chair wobbled under Noodle. Violet sprang to her feet.

“Yeah no,” she continued, “I’ll get it."

She reached up and pulled down a colorful box filled with sugary cereal and a bowl, and handed them both to Noodle. Violet continued fixing her second cup of coffee and then shuffled her way to the room that was supposed to be her office. 

It was, like the first office she set foot in at Kong, a closet that had been converted, and besides the desk, chair, phone, and computer it was completely bare. She pulled on the chain to turn on the light, and, to no one’s surprise it didn’t work. She left the door open. 

“So what the fuck am I supposed to do?” She wondered aloud. 

Violet noticed an email account was left open and there were roughly a hundred unopened emails, all from various magazines and media outlets clambering for interviews. She sighed and began to read the messages, writing down of the most notable requests, Rolling Stone, MTV, NME, etc. so she could run them by the band. Thirty minutes into her work, another email popped up. It was for the official Gorillaz email, but was addressed to Murdoc. It was from a woman named Georgina who was claiming to be pregnant with Murdoc’s child. She was angry and demanding money.

“Shit!” Violet exclaimed as she shot up from her desk. 

She stormed down the hallway, on the hunt for the bassist. 2D’s voice, followed by Noodle’s laughter, came floating out from a room just down the hall. Violet popped her head in.

“Have either of you seen Murdoc?” she asked.

2D shook his head, “No, why?”

“He’s in big trouble,” she snarled.

The blue-haired vocalists blinked twice, “Try fuh car park. ‘E lives in ‘is Winnie-bago down fere and ‘e’s probably still asleep.”

And Violet was gone, running down the hallway again. The three younger members of the band all heard her shriek “Murdoc” as she made her way down to the car park. 

The Winnebago sat parked on the first level, and the stench that radiated from it was almost unbearable. Violet thanked the stars that her own car was a couple levels down.  
She plugged her nose as she approached the vehicle and began to bang on the door.

“Murdoc fuckin’ Niccals, open this goddamn door!” She yelled, “I need to have a word with you, you son of a bitch!”

She pounded on the door a couple more times before it swang open, revealing Murdoc in nothing but a red thong.

“What the fuck do you want,” he barked.

Taken aback by his appearance, Violet found all of her anger and bravado leave her.

“Y-you g-g-got an e-email,” she stammered, “F-from a woman n-named Georgina.” 

“And,” he sighed. His breath was atrocious. 

Violet swallowed, “She said she’s gonna have your kid, and she wants you to support it. Monetarily.”

“Fuck that!” Murdoc shouted, “Does she have any proof?”

“She says she will when the baby comes,” she elaborated. 

Murdoc just rubbed his temples. 

Violet coughed a bit to break the silence, “You need to call a lawyer. Maybe you can negotiate with her.”

“Nah, I think I remember that bird,” Murdoc said, mood lifting, “I’m she’s a prostitute. Kid could be anyone’s. I’m safe.”

She stood there dumbfounded, “You know paternity tests are a thing right?”

He laughed, “I don’t have to take one.”

Violet rolled her eyes, “If she gets the courts involved you do, and she seems pretty angry, so she probably will.”

He gave another sigh and stepped down from the Winnebago. 

“Show me the email,” he demanded, “I’ll what I can do.”

Violet led the bassist back to her cramped office so he could read Georgina’s angry email. She hovered a bit as he sat in her chair. His stench filled the entire room, and Violet could almost not breathe. Murdoc uttered a “fuck” under his breath. 

“This bitch is serious,” he finally blurted out. 

“No shit,” Violet scoffed. 

He sat back in the chair, “On the fridge, there should be a number for a lawyer, can you go get that?” 

She grunted and left to go fetch the number. To her chagrin, she realized that the entire fridge was covered in post-it notes that bared various phone numbers, most of which didn’t have any identifiers. Violet groaned, rather audibly. 

“You okay?” a man, 2D, behind her asked.

She turned around to face him, “Yeah, I’m looking for a phone number for a lawyer. Murdoc said it’d be on the fridge but, as you can tell, that’s turning out to be a very difficult task.”

The pair stood side by side, both looking at the fridge, in silence. 2D finally reached forward and pulled a post-it note off. It bared the word LAWYER-MAN and a smudged phone number.

Violet laughed, “that certainly doesn’t help us. I can go see if he can read them. Thanks.”

“Wot did ‘e do?” he inquired, “you said ‘e was in trouble.”

“He knocked a girl up, and now she’s demanding support,” Violet responded, “and she’s very mad as well.”

He laughed, deep and sincere. It must have felt nice for him to see Murdoc messing up. Violet began laughing too. 

“What are you two morons on about?” Murdoc snarled as he entered the kitchen.

“Nothing,” Violet giggled as she extended the post-it note to the older man, “Here’s the phone number. I can’t make out the number, but you might be able to.”

He snatched it up from her hands and stomped to the kitchen phone where he began dialing what he thought the number was. 2D and Violet both held back snickers as he had to redial a couple times before he finally reached the lawyer. 

Violet pulled 2D out of the room as Murdoc began to discuss the situation with whoever was on the phone. He went back to playing video games with Noodle, while Violet begrudgingly went back to her work. Confirming appearances and scheduling interviews, on top of also balancing the band’s mundane schedules like doctor’s appointments. The worst part was answering the various fan emails while trying to sound like the member the message was addressed to. Every once in a while, 2D or Russel would pop in and offer to get her some food or something to drink. She only accepted when Russel actually came in with a mug of coffee. She worked for another hour or more before she finally gave up and went to go crash in front of the tv. She wanted to grab a beer, but since she had had so much to drink the night before and had also taken quite a lot of painkillers so she decided that drinking was a bad idea.

2D and Noodle were still glued to the couch like they were earlier. Except this time they were watching a movie.

“Is that Evil Dead?” Violet asked as she plopped down between them. 

“Yeah!” 2D chimed, “One of my favorites!”

She smiled, “Me too!”

The three of them watched the movie, and then the next two in the series, enjoying each other’s company almost as much as the movies. 

Towards the end of Army of Darkness, Violet noticed that Noodle had fallen asleep. She nudged 2D, who was mouthing along with the dialogue. He glanced over and smiled. The woman reached to turn off the tv while 2D picked the young girl up, careful not to wake her. Silently, they walked to Noodle’s room where 2D placing her on the bed. 

“I’ll take over from here,” Violet told him.

“Awlright,” he said, “good night.”

He went in for an awkward hug, which she returned, and then he scampered off to somewhere else in the studio. 

“Noodle,” she crooned, “come on you have to wake up and get ready for bed.”

The young girl stirred. Violet grabbed some pjs out of her closet and placed them on the bed next to her. 

She shook her a little, “Noodle.”

Noodle muttered a bit and opened her eyes. She stood up, took the pjs, and waddled over to her bathroom. Violet heard the faucet being run and the brushing of teeth. When Noodle reentered the room, Violet turned down the covers. Noodle cuddled up under the sheets and fell asleep immediately. The new manager tiptoed out of the room, turning the lights out as she went.   
As she returned to her own room, Violet reflected on the days that had just passed. She had made friends with (and slept with) a world-famous band, and had learned how hard her job really was.


	5. Thought You Might Care What Goes On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accidents happen and Murdoc overreacts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Midterms and Spring Break have happened, so I haven't had much time to write.

A month or so, and Violet adjusted to her new way of life. She could now sleep through whatever Kong Studios had to throw at her, whether it was demonic screeches wading in from somewhere in the bowls of the building or Murdoc’s drunken rants at two in the morning. No, her job wasn’t easy, but it was strangely enjoyable. Every member of the Gorillaz proved to be enjoyable company, even the bassist, in his own weird way. She had to juggle the personal and professional lives of four very different people. Russel very lovingly referred to her as their “mother hen”. 

With the band’s whirlwind success, Violet found herself swept up in the excitement which came to a head as they all prepared to go on tour. She made sure that they would all be prepared for something none of them had experienced. On her bedside table sat a notebook that contained all the important information, Noodle’s schoolwork, all of 2D’s medical issues and prescriptions, various numbers of lawyers and what was probably probation officer for Murdoc. Thankfully, Russel could be trusted to handle his own life. 

It was on a dreary day about a week into the tour, Violet found herself to be very nauseous. She stood up very suddenly from her across from Noodle and ran to the bathroom. She felt as if she was going to vomit, and she did.

As soon as the noises of Violet’s retching reached the ears of the band, a knock came on the door.

“Hey,” it was, surprisingly, Murdoc, “you okay?”

Violet started to respond, but instead vomited again.

“I guess not,” he muttered, his voice fading a bit as he walked away.

“Man, go check on her,” Russel snapped.

She heard some grumbling and then the door swung open.

Murdoc laughed, “you look like hell.”

Violet wiped her mouth and laughed slightly.

“What happened?” he asked.

“What do you think? I got nauseous all of a sudden,” she stated.

Violet stood up, still feeling a little woozy, and looked at herself in the mirror. 

She shook her head, “you were right.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, “You need anything?”

Honestly, she was a taken a little aback by that. Murdoc Niccals was showing compassion for someone? Possibly voluntarily? Had hell frozen over? 

“No thanks,” she declined with a smile, “I’ll be fine.”

Violet rejoined the rest of them, with Murdoc right behind her. As she picked up her cards to continue the game with Noodle, a thought hit her. 

“What day is it?” She asked, a question pointed to no one in particular 

Not looking up from his book, Russel responded, “The 18th, why?”

Her eyes went wide as her thoughts raced. 

“No reason,” she quickly snapped and returned to the game. 

How long had it been since her last period? As she calculated, she realized that it had ended right before she had begun this new job. It should have started already.  
Hadn’t they used a condom?

But they, oh god, they aren’t always perfect, especially if you’re drunk.

She glanced down at her abdomen. If she was, shouldn’t she have noticed before now? But a month isn’t that long for growth. Plenty of women don’t know until now.   
Violet still felt nauseous, though. Maybe it was something she had eaten. Or was she car sick. 

Next time they stopped, she would get a pregnancy test. Violet’s life, and possibly 2D’s, were hanging in the balance, and so she hoped they would be stopping soon.

Thankfully, they did. The bus needed gas. Noodle bounded off, and Violet followed closely behind her. She purchased a test, ginger ale, and some pepto bismol. She tried to be stealthy, but she failed. 2D had seen. 

“Is fat for you?” he asked.

His usually cheery voice was laden with a surprising gravity. 

She looked down at her feet, “Yeah. My period’s late and I’m sick. I’m just being careful.”

2D’s brows furrowed and then he pushed Violet onto the empty bus and into the bathroom. 

“Turn around,” she demanded.

He laughed, “I’ve seen you naked.”

“Do you even remember it?” she asserted.

2D got defensive, “I could! You don’t know. Just because you were blackout drunk doesn’t mean I was!” 

She stared at him, “Yes you were. You were more freaked out than me that morning.”

He blinked twice, “Well, yeah, but fat’s not my point.”

This elicited a sigh.

“I don’t want you to watch me pee,” she admitted. 

“Oh,” was his response and he turned around.

Violet completed the test, and zipped up her pants.

She tapped him on the shoulder, “I’m done. All we have to do is wait now.”

The next couple of minutes took about a year. The pair stood in silence, both staring at the plastic stick. Violet checked her watch every couple of seconds.   
Someone knocked on the door. 

“Shit,” Violet hissed under her breath.

Another knock.

“Just a second!” both 2D and Violet yelled.

They looked at each other wide-eyed. Now whoever was out there, and possibly the whole band, knew they were in the bathroom together.

2D opened the door to an angry looking Murdoc, “I was just ‘elping ‘er out! ‘Olding ‘er ‘air back, ya know?”

Violet nodded weakly.

The bassist glared at the two suspiciously, “Well, get out. I have to take a piss.”

The younger two scurried out of the bathroom and back to their seats. A few seconds passed and Violet looked up at 2D in horror. He glanced at her in confusion. The young woman grabbed the nearest piece of paper and a pen and scribbled out ‘we left the test in there’. As he read the note, all the color drained from his face.

The bathroom door swung open and slammed against a wall. 

Murdoc, seething, stomped over to Violet and held the pregnancy test up.

“What the fuck is this?” he demanded.

She gulped, “A pregnancy test.”

He continued, “Is it yours?”

She nodded, slightly terrified.

“Whose is it?” 

She furrowed her brow at his question, “What?”

Murdoc sighed audibly, “Whose kid is it?”

Violet looked at the test more closely, “It’s negative, Murdoc.”

“Oh thank god!” 2D exclaimed, a bit too loudly for Violet’s taste.

Murdoc’s already angry expression grew more intense as he turned on the singer.

“It was a drunken one night stand,” Violet piped up, worried Murdoc would turn violent, “and it was partially your fault too!”

“If you hadn’t forced us to go out that night, it wouldn’t have never happened,” 2D added.

Violet felt a bit less scared now, “Anyways, why does it matter. I’m not pregnant and it hasn’t happened again.” 

After remaining silent for the whole affair, Russel spoke up, “you’re such a hypocrite.”

“What?” Murdoc snapped.

“You pull this shit all the time,” Russel was laughing now, “who knows how many women you’ve knocked up. You have no right to get mad.”

“But this would have ruined everything we’ve worked so hard for!” Murdoc explained, tripping over his words.

“How?” Russel pressed.

Murdoc opened his mouth but if to speak, but he couldn’t provide a reason.

“I probably just ate something that disagreed with me. We shouldn’t even be having this argument,” Violet stated, “I’m not going to start popping out little blue haired babies. So we should all just calm down.” 

The largest member of the band placed a hand on Murdoc’s shoulder and forced him to sit down in the seat next to him and they began discussing something about the set list. Violet continued her card game with a very confused Noodle. 

2D was the only one who remained silent as he sat alone, almost sadly.


	6. Some of us will never sleep again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's had too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait what? I'm updating? It's only been what? Four or five months?
> 
> Sorry. School and work and all that shit man. 
> 
> And don't worry, this isn't the end.

Following a whirlwind world tour, Violet and Gorillaz ended up in Los Angeles. Quite honestly, Violet enjoyed California. She wasn’t too fond of the party life she had found herself thrust into, but, god, she loved the weather.

Everyone was changing though. These four people she lived with now were much different than the four she met roughly a year and a half ago. Noodle was now a teenager, and her attitude certainly matched her age. Russel was behaving erratically. 2D was never really around. As for Murdoc, he remained the same once she really thought about it. 

Despite their success, the band was also close to being broke. Violet hunted down external employment as her salary took a nosedive. She found herself waiting tables and cleaning houses just to make ends meet. She already had to dip quite a bit into her savings account to help pay off some of debts the band had begun to accrue. She understood them wanting to live the “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” lifestyle, but that would be impossible with their current funds. 

In September of 2003, Violet decided she had enough. Murdoc had gotten violent with all of them; she could still see her own bruises and 2D had only been out of the latest cast for a week. The young woman decided that, even if they needed her, she could just be replaced. After all, wasn’t she a replacement to begin with? She called her mother and asked for a flight back to London. With her transportation secured, Violet felt sad. She had lived with the Gorillaz for the past year and a half or so and now it was coming to an end. 

She looked around the room that she shared with Noodle. The floor was covered in laundry and posters displaying rock icons substituted for wallpaper. A couple bottles of Jack Daniels, which couldn’t possibly be all hers, littered the room. On the single nightstand, or the crate that stood in for one, sat a Demon-shaped lamp and framed picture of her, Noodle, and Russel that was taken a couple weeks after they met.   
Nostalgia overcame her and tears began prick her eyes. She wiped them away and threw her suitcase up on her bed to begin packing. Nothing was clean and she was really hoping that she wasn’t absconding with anything that belonged to her almost-thirteen-year-old roommate. 

God, was Noodle really almost thirteen? 

With a sigh, threw on the only clean-ish shirt she could find. It was a rather large Nick Cave shirt and smelled faintly of butterscotch and cigarettes. 

“Fuck,” she muttered as the tears finally began to fall.

Despite how bad things had gotten lately, she would miss everyone-even the asshole named Murdoc. She would miss how fun they were. They were her family now and she was abandoning them. 

But it was what she needed to do. Violet recognized that she wouldn’t be able to survive being trapped in the tiny apartment much longer. She would just have to move on with her life. Maybe one day she’d see them again. 

The suitcase landed back down on the ground. At the last second she decided to leave Noodle a note:

“Hey kid I gotta go. Things just aren’t right for me here anymore. Remember that I love you and will always be just a phone call away if you need me. Tell the boys I’ve gone back home for me! And look me up when you’re all back in Jolly Old England.   
-Vi”

After securing it under the picture frame, she left the room without a last look.   
Thankfully, no one was home. She left another note on the kitchen table for Murdoc:

“Consider this my two weeks you motherfucker”

Next to the words she drew a rather childish picture of a shit.

Two hours later, as Violet was killing time at LAX before her flight. Her cellphone rang. Dammit. 

“Hello,” the woman answered, her voice shaking. 

“Wot the fuck, Violet?” screeched the caller, “you can’t just up and leave us!”

“2D, I have to,” she explained, “please understand. I can’t take it anymore. If things weren’t so bad I wouldn’t even dream of leaving. You guys mean the world to me, but I can’t live with him anymore. I have to have a normal life.”

There was a silence. All she could hear was his breathing.

“Take me with you,” he finally said, “Murdoc’ll kill me without you’here. I can’t do it.”   
Violet sighed, “The rest of the band needs you, you’re the front man, and I can’t take all of you.”  
“We need you to get frough fough,” 2D whined.

She laughed bitterly at that, “I’m just the manager, you can replace me.”

The woman at the desk began to announce that they were beginning to board.

“2D, I have to go get on the plane,” she stated.

“Don’t go,” he whispered, she could hear the break in his voice.

Violet couldn’t handle it, her own tears began to form once more, “I’ll call you when I land. Send my love to Noodle and Russel.”

And she hung up the call and gathered her carry-on. She hadn’t expected 2D to make things so difficult. Honestly, she had thought that it would be Noodle who would call. She sniffed her shirt and felt a wave of nostalgia and comfort come over her. 

Tears were wiped away and forgotten as she boarded the plane to Heathrow and started her journey back to a normal life.


	7. All of which makes me anxious, sometimes unbearably so.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Living in the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? Another chapter update in the same week? The world must be coming to an end.

The plane landed hours later. As Violet stepped back onto British soil and stretched, she checked her phone. Thirty- missed calls. Those four really didn’t know the meaning of calm, did they?

She decided she would call Russell, since she didn’t think she was emotionally prepared for Noodle or 2D and she certainly didn’t think Murdoc deserved a call at this point. 

The phone rang a couple times, but no one picked up. 

“Dammit,” she sighed. 

But she had promised that she would call. So she called Noodle, who would probably maybe a little less emotional than the singer.

This time, she was met with a grunted “hey”.

“Noodle, I owe you all an explination,” she started.

“Yeah” was the response.

“You’re angry,” Violet stated, feeling guilty.

Noodle exhaled heavily, “of course I am! Not only did you leave without saying goodbye but everything’s gone downhill since then!”

“What are you talking about?” the older girl asked.

“2D was so upset that he just ran off,” Noodle explained, “Murdoc’s broken two windows and just keeps drinking.”

That’s probably why Russell wasn’t picking up. 

Violet hadn’t considered how her departure would affect the band past hiring a new manager. She knew that they wouldn’t be happy, but she had hoped they would understand. 

She sighed, “Listen, I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t handle your lifestyle anymore. It was all too much, especially Murdoc. I mean, the asshole hit me once or twice. I’m too old to be a rockstar.”

“You’re twenty-five,” Noodle retorted.

“Right,” Violet responded, “I did what I thought was best for me, but I didn’t think about what you all thought. Something in me figured that you could just replace me. I forgot my position had become more than professional”

Silence.

“Listen,” she continued, “I don’t know what I can do now, but maybe when you all-“

“We need you now!” her younger friend interrupted.

The now former manager ran her hands through her hair, “fuck, um, I can’t fly back but I’ll, uh, I’ll call 2D and try to sort that out. Where are you right now?”

“I’m locked in my room hiding from Murdoc’s rage,” Noodle explained.

Sure enough, distant screaming could be heard over the phone. 

“Do you feel unsafe?” Violet pressed, “because if you do, call the cops or at least make sure Russ is there.”

A call beeped in. 

“Hey, Russell is calling me, I’ll get him over there and then I’ll call ‘D okay?”

Noodle grunted.

“I’m sorry Noodle. Hopefully you’ll understand and forgive me one day,” Violet apologized, “Call me later.”

And the pair hung up as Violet picked up the other call.

“Russell I’m sorry, and I’ll explain later, but you need to get back the apartment,” she blurted out, “have you found 2D?”

He laughed, which was a welcomed sound, “Yeah, scrawny bastard was at LAX trying to book a flight to London by way of Sheremetyevo International. Doubt he would do real well in Moscow.”

“Thank god you showed up when you did,” she giggled.

“Is that ‘er?” an English accent asked him. Despite it being muffled, she could tell who it was.

“Come back!” 2D shouted into the receiver. 

“Man back up,” Russell instructed the other man.

“Let me talk to him,” Violet requested.

The phone clattered to the ground as Russell mumbled a few choice words.

2D then fumbled with it for a second before shouting, “come back!” again.

She took a deep breath, “’D, I think I figured out how to explain why I left. It’s like that time we had to leave New York because fangirls kept finding out where we were living and then Murdoc began taking it out on you. The whole deal-the parties, the lack of money, Murdoc-was too stressful for me. I felt it was time to move on. This doesn’t mean we won’t ever see each other anymore. I just won’t be working for you guys.”

“Alwright,” he breathed after awhile, probably still trying to grasp when the New York event happened. 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a tall, young man-Rich, an old friend of hers from school-waving at her. 

“I’ve got to go,” Violet stated, “talk to you later?” 

“Yeah, sure,” 2D responded. 

“Bye ‘D”

“Bye.”

Maybe they would understand, in time. She greeted her old friend as he took her carry on. Thank god for her mom setting everything up. Hopefully, she would be able to return to some semblance of normal. 

By January, Violet had her life back on track. She had landed herself a job at a local record store. It wasn’t as glamorous as her life was during her time with the Gorillaz, but it was a good life. She had started dating Rich and they, as well as another friend of theirs, had all moved in together. Everything was peaceful.

So she was almost a little scared when she overheard two of her coworkers discussing the band. Apparently, they had all but broken up. “On hiatus”, were the exact words used. It was unknown if any of them had returned to England. Violet silently hoped that if any of them, even Murdoc, did return, they would contact her. She hadn’t talked to anyone since Noodle’s birthday. 

But contact would remain futile, for the most part. Oddly enough, she did get an email of all things from 2D-or rather, Stuart, as he was calling himself now-stating that he was living with his parents and he was happy. He asked if they could meet up sometime but didn’t really provide any details. And he never responded past that.   
The radio silence on the Gorillaz front was frankly disheartening. Violet missed her friends.

“Hey, Vi, didn’t you live with them?” a coworker asked, snapping her out of her reverie. 

She piped up, “yeah, I was actually their manager for a bit.”

“What really?” the young man gasped, “wicked! What was it like?”

“Alright, I guess,” she laughed, “really wild ride, ya know? But I kinda miss it.”

Violet’s coworker rambled on about the band-how talented they were and how lucky she was to know them. She just nodded along as she continued to work.

Something deep inside her was regretting the decision she made months ago. Despite having a pretty decent life nowadays, she felt as if something was missing and was pretty positive it was her weird little family.


End file.
